2 arrested for chalk vandalism at Capitol

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published May 23, 2008

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The Washington State Patrol arrested two people at the Capitol late Wednesday, after troopers allegedly saw the pair vandalizing the historic building with chalk.

Joseph J. Linsalata, 23, and Afton L. Larson, 25, were charged with first-degree mischief, a felony, the agency reported today.

The charge is based on the $754 cost of cleaning the Capitol, including removing the chalk from the bronze doors of the domed Legislative Building, patrol spokesman Bob Calkins said.

In addition to a rash of smaller graffiti incidents on the campus, the Capitol’s sandstone columns were spray-painted with anarchist and anti-war symbols earlier this year, and the entrance was again vandalized with similar marks by protesters participating in a May Day rally.